Duan Qirui

Duan Qirui (6 March 1865-2 November 1936) was President of the Republic of China from 24 November 1924 to 20 April 1926, succeeding Huang Fu and preceding Hu Weide, as well as Premier from 1916 to 1917, in 1917, and in 1918.

Biography
Duan Qirui was born in Hefei, China in 1865, and he served in the artillery of the Beiyang Army, rising to become one of Yuan Shikai's subordinates after assisting him with the quelling of the Boxer Rebellion. In 1911, he led the loyalist 2nd Army Corps against the Tongmenghui during the Xinhai Revolution, and he supported Yuan Shikai when he convinced Emperor Puyi to abdicate. From 1913 to 1918, Duan Qirui served as Premier intermittently, and he installed Li Yuanhong as president after Yuan's death, hoping to control him as a puppet. The nationalist Duan sought to make China a great power by allying with the Triple Entente and the United States, and he was behind China's symbolic declaration of war against the German Empire during World War I. In 1920, Duan was ousted from power by Wu Peifu, Cao Kun, and Zhang Zuolin, but he would serve as acting President of the Republic of China from 1924 to 1926. Feng Yuxiang would rebel against Duan after Duan massacred several communists, and Feng ousted Duan from power for the last time. Duan died in Shanghai in November 1936.